SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Clark University men's basketball (12-13, 7-9 NEWMAC) concluded its regular-season schedule with a trip to Springfield (9-15, 7-8 NEWMAC) on Wednesday night. The Cougars battled back from a first-half deficit but couldn't find the tying three in the final seconds, falling 76-72.  

How it Happened

• Clark got the scoring started with a quick layup by junior Malik Matanmi just 20 seconds into the game. After the Pride tied it, a layup by sophomore Boluwasefe John put the Cougars back in front.

• After Springfield pulled ahead for the first time, a quick three from sophomore Kyle Squires gave Clark a 9-8 lead with 13:37 to play.

• A three from senior Reid Neumann gave Clark its largest lead of the game, an eight-point advantage with 8:14 to play in the half.

• Over the next few minutes, a 15-2 run by the Pride gave Springfield a five-point lead with 3:58 remaining in the first half.

• A three from Squires briefly stopped the momentum, but nine straight points from Springfield pushed the lead to 11. First-year Aliaun Iscandari had the final basket of the half, converting a layup to cut the deficit to single digits at 40-31 heading into the break.

• Iscandari also scored the first four points of the second half for Clark, cutting the deficit to as low as seven. A three from Neumann and a dunk from John later made it a 45-40 game with 16:43 to go.

• Clark continued to chip away, as a pair of free throws by junior Christopher Clarke trimmed the deficit to four with 13:43 to play.

• The lead stayed between four and nine points over the next six minutes despite nine points from Iscandari, a layup by Matanmi, and a three from Neumann.

• The Cougars finally broke through, tying the game with 5:46 remaining on a pair of free throws by Iscandari. Springfield answered with baskets, but more free throws from Iscandari, along with layups from Matanmi and John, made it 71-71 with 2:22 to play.

• After a Springfield free throw and a Matanmi free throw tied the game again at 72, the Pride pulled ahead by three in the final minute, forced a miss on the game-tying three, and hit a late free throw to secure the 76-72 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars hit 25 shots in the game, shot 84.2% (16-19) from the stripe and also pulled down 36 rebounds. 

• Iscandari led the way with 28 points, also adding six rebounds, five steals, and four assists. This was his tenth game this season with 20 or more points and fifth game with 25 or more. 

• John poured in 16 points while ripping down a team-high eight rebounds. This was his 19th game this season with 10 or more points. 

• Neumann hit three triples and pulled down six rebounds. 

What's Next

The Scarlet and White clinched a playoff spot with tonight's results around the league. They now await the final games to be played on Saturday to see what seed and what opponent they will face in the NEWMAC playoffs.